Emily Dickinson Lexicon

E'VIL, a. [e'vl; Sax. efel, yfel, or hyfel; D. euvel; G. übel; Arm. fall, goall. Qu. W. gwael, vile; Ir. feal. The Irish word is connected with feallaim, to fail, which may be allied to fall. Perhaps this is from a different root. Qu. Heb. Ch. and Syr. עול, to be unjust or injurious, to defraud, Ar. عَالَ to decline, and غَالَ to fall on or invade suddenly.]

1. Having bad qualities of a natural kind; mischievous; having qualities which tend to injury, or to produce mischief. Some evil beast hath devoured him. Gen. xxxvii.
2. Having bad qualities of a moral kind; wicked; corrupt; perverse; wrong; as, evil thoughts; evil deeds; evil speaking; an evil generation. Scripture.
3. Unfortunate; unhappy; producing sorrow, distress, injury or calamity; as, evil tidings; evil arrows; evil days. Scripture.